This week was all about getting back into my routine, on all fronts. Being out of my routine makes me realize how comfort I get from my daily rituals. Things like my quiet coffee time in the morning or nighttime skin routine seem so trivial in everyday life, but when I’m away from those patterns for an extended period of time it becomes very clear how important they are to me. Does that ever happen to you?

Beyond that, it’s Easter! My family’s coming down for an early Easter brunch this Saturday. I’m making this swiss chard and egg casserole, a tossed green salad, and this blueberry coffee cake. Are you guys cooking anything special? I’ve got a few recipe recs below if you’re in need of some! Let’s get to it:

Did you know you could poach an egg in olive oil? I had no idea, but am totally hooked on the idea after seeing this drool worthy tutorial on Oh Joy.

I’m consistently inspired by everything that Bri from DesignLoveFest does, but I was particularly wowed by this post and graphic she put together for where to eat in her neighborhood of Silver Lake. I very much foresee doing something fun like this for Williamsburg!

At the end of last year, and from time to time over the years, we’ve shared our best reads and favorite picks when it comes to our bookshelf. I love these posts, largely because it helps me get amazing book recommendations from you all, but more importantly because truly, isn’t a good book just one of the best things in life? Whether you’re curled up on the couch during winter, or soaking up the hot sun in summer, a good read kind of always feels like a little vacation… don’t you think? We do! So in light of that I decided to make ‘On Our Bookshelf’ a monthly series, which features not just mine, but the entire team’s current favorite reads. Just preparing this post has already given me so many must make purchases on my Kindle. Check out our six picks below and be sure to provide your recommendations in the comments!

ClaraThe Fault in Our Stars This book possesses one of the most touching love stories I’ve ever read. The fact that the love is between two teens with terminal cancer, makes it that much more incredible. Yes, it’s a bit of a heartbreaker in the end, but the author’s overall take on being alive and in love is nothing short of heart warming.I promise, this one won’t disappoint.

Summerland Do you have a guilty pleasure when it comes to reading? Elin Hildenbrand’s books are totally mine. They’re all set at the beach, they all involve beautiful people, and there’s always a happy ending. I believe they fall into the not so glamorous “chic-let” genre, but I’m still addicted to them. I’ve decided to kick off my summer reads a little early this year in order to combat this annoyingly long winter we’ve, and am starting with one of Elin’s more recent pieces- Summerland. No judging!

SarahMe Before You: This book captured me in a way that I wasn’t expecting- and I loved every minute of it. I honestly had to pace myself so I wouldn’t read too much at once! I’d describe it as an unexpected love story that will leave you with a new outlook on life. It definitely proves that you don’t need a happy ending to make a great story.

One Day: This certainly isn’t a new book, but it’s one that I recently got around to reading. I never saw the movie, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I think the character development is what makes this book so special. You get to see many facets of each character over a long period. At times you may not even know if you love or hate them, but in the end you just want them to end up together!

LaurenDaring Greatly: If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I’m not [good, perfect, successful, thin, etc.] enough,” this book is for you. In Daring Greatly, Dr. Brené Brown encourages us to embrace our vulnerability and imperfection, to cultivate our worthiness, and to courageously engage in the world. One of my favorite excerpts that really resonated with me: “When we spend our lives waiting until we’re perfect or bulletproof before we walk into the arena, we ultimately sacrifice relationships and opportunities that may not be recoverable, we squander our precious time, and we turn our backs on our gifts, those unique contributions that only we can make. Perfect and bulletproof are seductive, but they don’t exist in the human experience.”

It’s All Good: I’m a BIG fan of Gwyneth’s previous cookbook, My Father’s Daughter, so naturally I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of her second book next week. After seeing this preview in the latest issue of SELF, I was even more sold. The recipes are not too far off from how we normally eat in our house anyway, and I’m excited to find some new go-to dishes to lean on when we’re feeling we need to “clean up” our diet a bit.

It’s no surprise we’ve got quite a few blogger crushes around CC headquarters. We’re constantly inspired and in awe of what our internet gal pals are cooking up online. In order to channel that admiration, we’ve dreamed up a new monthly series, ‘Girl Crush’, which will feature our favorite online ladies and allow us all to get to know them a bit better! We’re kicking things off with the lovely Christin who pens With a CH.

Where’d you grow up? I grew up in a suburb of San Francisco called Danville. Our claims to fame include Captain Sully and Bridges, the restaurant in Mrs Doubtfire.

What do you love most about living in NYC?That my groceries are delivered to my apartment. More seriously, there is so much to do, always. And I love that I live so close to Central Park.

We love With a CH- especially your whit and humor. What made you start blogging?One of my best friends told me I should because I was living in LA at the time and doing all these really outlandish things on the regular. So, I took her advice and started my blog. It’s changed a lot since then.

You work for Baublebar! What’s your current role? How’d you get your start there?I do! I’m the Social Media Manager. Grace and I actually met through blogging and that’s how I got the job.

How do you balance work and blogging?That’s a tough one, especially since I also blog for BaubleBar, but I try to keep a running list of ideas and get through it all on the weekends otherwise I won’t get it done.

What’s your morning routine like?Like the Tasmanian devil…

What’s your evening routine like?I usually get home around 7:30. I’ll make dinner and watch one of “my shows” with my boyfriend.

How do you decompress?Cooking, actually. Or slothing around in my USC sweatshirt and Hello Kitty PJ pants.

Your dream weekend involves…naps, naps, a picnic in central park followed by a nap.

Three products you can’t live without: my clairsonic, my all clad pans and my hot tools curling iron. I’m all over the place.

TV addictions: 1600 Penn. Skip is effing hilarious. Best character ever. “Barkeep, I’ll have a bowl of your fruitiest pebbles”

Your guilty pleasure(s):This is hard, because I really don’t care what anyone thinks of me but if I had to pick, maybe how much I love really terrible reality television like the Geordie Shore which is the UK version of Jersey Shore.

Most recent happy purchase:A new vacuum. Yep.

Plans for this summer: I am purchasing all the tickets for Central Park’s summer stage and we’ll do picnics all the time.

Something about your most people wouldn’t realize or know:This is tough, especially since I’m such an open book on my blog. However, I may be excellent at cooking and baking but everything else, I’m not great at. I don’t DIY anything and I cannot sew. I’ve ironed like twice in my life.

This cozy reading nook. I think a space like this would remind me to unplug, and read a book more often. Speaking of which, we have some fun book ideas coming your way later this week!

Boots in the perfect mossy shade for spring. I’m usually the first to dive into sandals, but these short boots might make a more seamless transition.

Fresh flowers and picnics! Two of my favorite things to look forward to from the latest Marais campaign.

I’m feeling especially drawn to bright, simple spaces recently. The chandelier is the perfect finishing touch.
These metallic leather pouches from Cisthene. All their products have a sort of enchanted feel to them.

Happy Monday, friends! Mixing things up a little today and subbing out food for some fashion. While I’m so ready to throw on fun pastels, prints, and neon shades for the warmer months, this sweater has been the best addition to my winter wardrobe this year. I so rarely shop in actual stores these days but I have an amazing boutique in my hometown upstate (Rhinebeck), that I visit almost every time I go home. The owner curates the most gorgeous selection of pieces. It’s so good I’ve actually thought about doing a blog post on them (on my to do list for this summer…). I picked up this white sweater last time I was home. It’s a little bit hard to see the sheer detailing across the shoulders and neck, but it really makes the whole piece. I love the slouchy feel and the slits on the side. Is anyone as obsessed as me with side slits on tops or sweaters? Oh and it must be said- these are not real glasses, I totally purchased fake ones a few years back and have fun wearing them from time to time. I’m sure all of you who actually wear glasses think I’m quite nutty! Here’s to a great week!

Mix + Match: your wardrobe (I’m planning to sort through my clothes this weekend, before starting spring shopping. While I’m at it, I hope to be inspired enough to try some new combinations with what I have.)

Add: color! (Spring seems to be dragging it’s feet this year. Maybe if we go ahead and pretend it’s already here, it will feel more welcome? A girl can dream..)